Public Service Interpreting (Health and Legal) (MA)

Overview

This is a vocational course designed to train public service interpreters in the legal, health and local government fields. The course provides high-level interpreting skills applicable to a variety of public services and professional backgrounds and incorporates face to face interpreting as well as remote interpreting (telephone interpreting). The course offers an exciting opportunity to understand the interpreting market and professional ethics through placement, visits, case studies and meeting guest speakers/professional interpreters working in various settings. You will be able to choose from the following languages paired with English: Arabic, Czech, Mandarin, Farsi/Dari, French, Polish, Russian, Serbian and Spanish. Further language combinations with English may also be available when three students of the same language combination pass the entry test.

London Metropolitan Business School

Applying and entry

PLEASE NOTE There is no official closing date for this course, but you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only consider your application if there are places available on the course.

Tel: 020 7133 4202
Email: admissions@londonmet.ac.uk

Candidates should normally have:

• A 2:1 first degree (or a 2:2 with professional experience in interpreting). Candidates with substantial experience as a professional interpreter, but no first degree will be considered
• English + 1 other language
• Native proficiency in the mother language (language A)
• Near-native proficiency in the second language (language B)
• A very good command of English. One of the following qualifications is required:
  - IELTS 6.5 minimum with a minimum score in all component parts of 6
  - TEOFL (old exam) 630 minimum
  – TEOFL (new exam) 267 minimum

Entrance aptitude test

Applications forms are processed by the admission tutor. Once the applicant has demonstrated that they match the entry criteria, they are invited to London Metropolitan University (Moorgate) to attend the entrance aptitude test. For international students, the test can be done remotely.

The entrance aptitude test is free and generally runs on Friday morning between 10am and 1pm, twice a month. It includes:

• Translations in and out of English
• Presentations in the language combination applicable to the application form
• Consecutive interpreting into the A language (mother tongue)
• Essay writing
• Interview with the admission tutor and interpreting lecturers

Course contents

The course consists of eight core modules and a Research Interpreting Project of 7,000 words.

Core modules include:

• The Interpreter’s Skills and Tools
• Public Service Interpreting Legal (1)
• Theory and Research Module
• Telephone Interpreting (Legal/Health/Local Government)
• The Interpreter’s Professional Environment (this module includes placement)
• Public Service Interpreting Legal (2)
• Public Service Interpreting Health
• Introduction to Conference Interpreting Legal or Translation for Public Service Interpreting
• Research Project

Read more about the modules

Assessment
Assessment is by a variety of coursework, interpreting exams, presentations, essays and research project (at MA level).

Careers

Graduates can work as in-house and freelance interpreters for a number of organisations, agencies and public services, such as The Police, Local Authorities, Hospitals, Immigration Services, Refugee and Asylum organisations.

Collaborative and international links

We work closely with The London Metropolitan Police, Chartered Institute of Linguists, Interpretation Unit at the European Courts of Justice, Interpreting Services of the European Commission (SCIC) and many other national and international interpreting organisations.